Tim
asked
David Wong:
A common theme running through JDatE, Spiders, and FVaFS seems to be protagonists triumphing through an earnest effort to do the right thing, complete with sacrifices, sticking to principles and strongly ethical behaviour--perhaps most so in FVaFS. Is it your intent to right decent, hopeful books, or is that a side-effect of the journey of your characters and necessity in moving the particular narrative forward?
David Wong
I'm not trying to write morality tales, I don't think, but I like stories in which the characters' desire to do the right thing clashes against their own limitations ... including their own inability to figure out what the right thing is.
The running theme in JDATE is that the main character never completely know what's going on, and it's not clear what the right thing to do even is. I think people identify with that because the real world is so similar - even a decision as simple as, "I only want to buy meat that was raised ethically and without cruelty to the animals" becomes something that can consume your life, if you really devote yourself to tracking down every supplier etc. Ignorance, and the fact that bad people use ignorance to their advantage, is always a part of the equation.
The running theme in JDATE is that the main character never completely know what's going on, and it's not clear what the right thing to do even is. I think people identify with that because the real world is so similar - even a decision as simple as, "I only want to buy meat that was raised ethically and without cruelty to the animals" becomes something that can consume your life, if you really devote yourself to tracking down every supplier etc. Ignorance, and the fact that bad people use ignorance to their advantage, is always a part of the equation.
More Answered Questions
Betty
asked
David Wong:
David, you are by and large my favorite author of your genre. The JDATE series has had me crying laughing, while also terrified. I have absolutely fallen in love with Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits. I know there was a rumor of this being made into a show/movie, but what has your process been shifting from the world of JDATE to new characters and more World building? When can we expect a sequel?
Riley
asked
David Wong:
When exactly did you relize that hard work looks like magic to those unwilling to do it? Did someone teach you that or did you come to your own conclusion? Reading those words were a final push in a series of really wierd apiphanies that made me understand integrity and lazyness completely differently. Also, I made them and the sentence prior my senior quote this year.
Charles
asked
David Wong:
David/Jason, Love all your episodes on the Cracked podcast; I recommend "Millenial-Panic!" to everyone. You've talked about how you work crazy-long hours but it sounds like a lot of that time is devoted to working behind-the-scenes at Cracked. If you could wave a magic wand and live in an idealized world where you could reliably depend on an income from only writing more books/more frequent Cracked posts, would you?
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